To say Friday morning was visually challenging would be an understatement.  While there were periods of some definition, for the most part, the visibility was an issue.  Mineral basin was a vertigo festival with zero zero visibility.   The snow quality, on the other hand, was wonderfully buoyant, but a tad heavy wall to wall.  The bump remnants were still there, but were totally cushioned by the depth and heft of the product.  The lifts opened on time and areas were opened as the morning progressed until all runs were good to go for the faithful, who were in full attendance.  The snow continued, unabated, throughout the day and kept piling up.  Again, the visibility remained a challenge so staying as close to the trees payed the biggest dividends with reflected light and definition.  I haunted some of the ignored shots and found fresh lines well into the afternoon maxing out my knee stamina when I had to retreat for the week and take my requisite day off tomorrow.  The forecast is for more snow so be sure to check the road access before heading out as you can’t hang out on the road now.   The best option is to go to your favorite breakfast place or coffee shop to wait for the opening.  That will give you the head room and sustenance that you need for a high energy assault.  The conditions are great, what more can you say or hope for.  I will be absent from the hill tomorrow so hit it hard on my behalf and I will get the inside scoop from my deep cover sources so you know it will be the real deal, as you have come to expect.  Powder to the people!!!

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The weather person promised a sunny, brief, high pressure Thursday.  Sounded good to me, but that would mean lots of snow quality damage.  The good news was that the morning broke overcast, windy, with snow falling to launch first tram; I’ll take it  The Powder Bird Guides were present on the tram because of the conditions, which were still Januaryesque, hoping for the weather to break.  The second tram saw the sun break out, though the wind still was harsh out of the West.  The high North exposures benefited from the transport factor rendering them soft and smooth.  The East exposures were skiing well and will continue to be so.  The sun went back in again then back out playing hide and seek all day.  This small amount of radiant heating kissed the direct faces and set them up making them difficult and sloggy.  The higher elevations escaped this heating for the most part, but the lower elevations went through a series of micro freeze thaw cycles as the sun went in and out.  Crusting can be counted on in these areas so check your directions.  The Groomers were epic with hydro velvet gracing the full scope of the hill;  Just rippable.  Very light traffic made the vertical junkies quiver for the full back to back program.  Go baby Go!!!  The next instalment is on our door step so check the road  status before heading up .  Hang on, here we go again!!!

A smooth classy ride is the only was to characterize Wednesday’s snow.  You know, drivin down the highway at 100 MPH.  Reporting only 7” to start, the true magnitude of this instalment was , by far, understated.  Heavy lake effect snow was dumping with a brief canyon closure, which opened in good time.  The  mountain opened a bit late as the real depth was significant, and becoming more so, as the white gold mounted up.  Once again the consistency was unreal and deep deep deep.  Yesterday’s wind had smoothed the underlying base so yet another level of perfection was waiting for the faithful, who made their way up the canyon any way possible.  How can you rank perfect.  Is there an 11 on a 1 to 10 scale?  Well I guess it is just that one bit more!   How much more, and how much better does it get.  I suppose it could have been 4 % , but I digress.    All aspects skied great.  Mineral Basin opened later in the day and was ground pounding, with few folks hip to the opening.  The sun made an appearance late in the day and began the warming process, but did not get too carried away.  Tomorrow is forecast to be fair so the sun will play a role in the Game plan.  North will stay good and cold, but the other exposures are sure to take the heat morphing the powder to paste.  Get there early for best results.  Perhaps Little Cloud will open, but bear in mind that the upper elevations took a serious beating  from the wind so care should be taken on the initial approach.  More storms are lined up for us so this ain’t over by a long shot!!!

Tuesday morning presented no problems as the wind, and cold temps. kept the snow cold and dry.  The opening of Baldy and Mineral basin gave the faithful further reason to boogie.  The wind had affected the high areas, but lower aspects were very soft and blastable.  The grooming, as usual, was fantastic and had a buttery vibe.  The significant West wind, which continued throughout the day, has been smoothing out the playing field In the high North and West aspects making every thing ski great.  Wall to wall goodness could be counted on so you could take your pick.  Mineral had been affected  by the sun and had a bit of zipper crust on the East facing, but clocking around to the North brought a much better ride.  The complexion over all is smooth and the bumps gone for the time being so tomorrow will be set for your choice of shots, which can be hit with unmitigated audacity.  The next instalment is slated for later tonight so there may be canyon issues in the AM so be sure to check.. The temps stayed cold all day and the sun only poked out a few times, so no damage to the snow quality.  Look for another epic day, get plenty of rest!!!

Monday was like most Mondays, problematic.  The canyon closure held the faithful off for an extended period.  Not only the faithful but the deacons could not access the hill for the slides covering the road.  A big swell indeed!!!  The crew worked miracles and got the Tram and Regulator open with the riders scratching for the outside before the clean up set caught them inside. Those that got outside were blessed with double overhead shots and unreal quality. The Cirque traverse opened and the white room was found with every turn. This could, arguably, be the best snow of the season with many cognoscenti feeling truly blessed. The upper West facing took a hit from the strong West wind , but only made it ski less explosively. Lower on the mountain the snow just got deeper; fully waist deep in sections and some folks seemed to be tunneling. That’s getting SHACKED!!!. What else can one say about perfection except, perhaps, lets have more tomorrow when more of the mountain opens and the next storm rolls in to keep the momentum going. KOWABUNGA!!!

Sunday morning broke sunny and clear, but to the North, over the Lake, a black front line marched relentlessly toward the Front seemingly swallowing the valley in it’s wake.  An awesome sight as I made haste up the canyon.  Pounding wind, through out the night, did not abate with the approach of the front, and over the top ridge top winds had the the Tram shut down for the opening. The chairs opened on time as the high North was good down to the last 500′, where yesterday’s sun and warmth had melted and refroze the groomage.  Not too bad to start,but the front moved in by 9:15 AM with groppel hammering down at 3 to 4” per hour.  Visibility went to the milk bottle zone and the winds shifted giving the Tram a shot at going off, which it did at 10:30 AM.  The shear volume of wetter snow stuck nicely to the hard pack and created a soft velvet feel.  Things were going to get good fast and they did.  The Gad 2 trees were probably the best place to be during the white out ,with the trees giving definition and what reflected light could provide. The large bumps there have been tamed by the snow in recent days and is skiing well.  Continued  Lake effect snow tonight will put the nice to nicer and epic conditions will be greeting us tomorrow.  The big swell is here.  OUTSIDE!!!

A beautiful sunny Saturday greeted us this morning with still a touch of cold air, but a rapid rise to more seasonal temps is sure to work the product in the predictable ways.  Fortunately, the forecast is for a solid week of continued storminess to add wonder to wonderful.  As I have mentioned oft times, with every extreme brings a swing to the other extreme, so we will be rewarded with the instalments that went undelivered in March; oh yeah, it’s not over yet.  Still, I am excited at the prospects as this will push my fade to “BLACK”  – the dreaded Asphalt- off a bit longer.  I much prefer the powder side of life but… balance in all things.  Tomorrow is predicted to be increasingly stormy as the day moves on ,but look for sweet groomers to start and check out the obvious high North sections on your first Tram for groovability.  The South and West is going to get crusty, lets say crispy, but not nearly as tough as the last corn cycle.  I am looking to sip as much essence as I can from these remaining weeks and will be posting every day that I can so stay tuned!!

Friday  morning dawned clear and cold with a brisk North Westerly breeze keeping the temps. cold;  truly a blue bird day.  Temp. on the peak in single digits to start out which slowly moved up to the teens.  Overnight the wind pounded the existing snow, moving some and compacting everything else.  The high North aspects were carvable and fairly smooth.  The East facing was the fluffiest.  Other aspects were variable and had been kissed by the sun late yesterday afternoon adding just enough moisture to thicken the playing field overall.  Mineral Basin, Little Cloud, Baldy, and Thunder Bowl opened later in the morning displacing the Tram line and rendering it Walk on by 12:00 Noon.  The groomers were buffed and creamy but could be a touch punchable if you stuck the edge too hard so a ligh approach was best.  The temps began to climb and the direct exposures will take the heat.  Tomorrow will sport a larger grooming field and North facing will remain dry and cold.  Crust on the South and West facing will be there, but not too tough to negotiate.  A sunny forecast will ensure a great day for all.  How could it not?  The powder may be gone for now, but the greatness is not; be there!!!

As anticipated, the canyon was closed Thursday morning holding the faithful at bay until the 10:00AM  opening.  They, again, were not disappointed as they were treated to the finest that the snow gods could provide.  Heavier density material to start provided a perfect foundation for the ever lighter dust which finished off the structure providing the most buoyant and luxurious product of the season; in my humble opinion.  The faithful were in full effect, charging with impunity, and demonstrating some serious chops!! Quite a sight, if you took the time to notice.  All aspects were amazing with nary a bump off the still frozen bottom, but no matter, full blastability was the rule.  After 1:00PM the high traffic areas began developing the ratchet chop which is typical of higher density.  Mineral, Little Cloud, and Baldy remained closed as I left with heavy lake effect fully in play, continuing to add to the, already, studio fluff.  By  the late afternoon the clouds moved off, but the cold temps and late appearance of the sun did not set up the snow as it normally would.  Tomorrow will be spectacular and will, no doubt, be well attended so reap the rewards of the big dance!!!

Wednesday morning began with a bang; control shots rang out with the early arrival of the predicted precip.  Very high winds had the Tram shut down and chair starts held off.  Road closing was scheduled for 10:00 AM.  After riding the Forklift chairs, in hopes for a start time, I took the window and bailed.  The best guess, from those in the know, was lower Gad Valley to open at an indeterminate time.  The faithful, getting up the greasy road, were pumping up the hill until the last minute.  The snowfall rate was epic and I can only imagine the depth to be deeper, by far, than reported.  The wind was sure to have affected the higher elevations making the skiability a toss up.  Needless to say, the continued snow fall will only make the overall conditions better, but there may be issues with wind affected areas so count on that.   I will be checking the road status in the morning to avoid the big crunch.  Looking good for the week!!!